Our Community
Cooking for Community served as an all-volunteer organization. Our dedicated team of organizers put in long hours on operations, planning, and development. Our restaurant partners made the kitchen magic happen, and our non-profit agency partners ensured the meals went where they were most needed. Our Brain Power Collective included local luminaries and influencers, who provided oversight, wisdom, and guidance.
Together, we committed to creating solutions to hunger in Maine that no single entity could deliver alone.
Organizers
Communications and Development
Beth Taylor, Creative Design and Branding
Elizabeth Peavey, Story Guide
Kris Knight, Marketing and Communications
Ellie Linen Low, Organization and Strategy
Nancy Sun, Operations and Finance
York-Chi Harder, Corporate Counsel
Operations
Ian Malin, Production and Operations Lead
Dr. Caroline Teschke, Agency Partnership Lead
Ilma Lopez, Chef and Advisor
Amanda Duckworth, Midcoast Program Director
Partners
Restaurant Partners (by Region)
Greater Portland
Burundi Star Coffee
Chaval (Portland)
Dutch’s (Portland)
Gather (Yarmouth)
Helm Oyster Bar and Bistro (Portland)
Istanbul Cafe (Westbrook)
LB Kitchen (Portland)
Leeward (Portland)
Little Giant (Portland)
Maggie Mae’s (Yarmouth)
Mama Mo’s (Portland)
Mr. Tuna (Portland)
Nura (Portland)
Union (Portland)
Midcoast Maine
Boynton McKay (Camden)
Cafe Miranda (Rockland)
Home Kitchen Cafe (Rockland)
North Beacon Oyster (Rockland)
Lewiston/Auburn
Boba (Lewiston)
Cibo (Auburn)
Davinci’s Eatery (Lewiston)
Sam’s Italian Foods (Auburn)
Bath/Brunswick
Tao Yuan Restaurant (Brunswick)
Produce Suppliers (partial listing)
Atlantic Sea Farms
Black Kettle Farm
Broad Arrow Farm
Broadturn Farm
Bumbleroot Farm
Dandelion Spring Farm
Farmers Gate Market
Green Thumb Potatoes
Laughing Stock Farm
Stonecipher Farm
Wolfe’s Neck Farm
Merrymeeting Gleaners
Social Service Agencies (by Region)
Greater Portland
Amistad (Portland)
Avesta Housing (Portland)
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine (Portland)
Catholic Charities Maine (Portland)
City of Portland Family Shelter (Portland)
My Place Teen Center (Westbrook)
Portland Public Schools (Portland)
Preble Street (Portland)
The Opportunity Alliance (Portland)
Wayside Food Program (Portland)
YMCA of Southern Maine (Biddeford, Freeport, New Gloucester, Portland)
Midcoast Maine
AIO Food Pantry (Rockland)
Hospitality House (Rockland)
Midcoast Recovery Coalition (Camden)
St. George Community Cupboard (St. George/Tenant’s Harbor/Port Clyde)
The Landing Place (Rockland)
Waldoboro Food Pantry (Waldoboro)
Lewiston/Auburn
Lewiston Housing (Lewiston)
Bath/Brunswick
Bath Housing (Bath)
Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program (Brunswick)
Other Partners (partial listing)
Androscoggin Bank
Coffee by Design
Evergreen Credit Union
Farms for Food Equity
Fork Food Lab
Greater Portland Council of Governments
Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association
Maine Food for Thought
New Profit, Inc
Portland Buy Local
Portland Food Map
Portland Downtown
Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce
Portland Sea Dogs
Brain Power Collective
Tory Ryden, Tory Ryden Communications
Winky Lewis, Winky Lewis Photography
Warren Valdmanis, Financial Consultant
Brian Eng, Business Advisor
Anne Wade, Impact Investing
Tarlan Ahmadov, State Refugee Coordinator, Catholic Charities Maine
Sarah & Bryce Hach, Maine Food For Thought
Andrew Butcher, Director of Innovation and Resilience, GPCOG
Kate Schier-Potocki, Owner, Bread and Butter Catering
Barton Seaver, Chef and Sustainable Seafood Advocate
Susan Onion, Onion Foundation
Mark Jablonowski, DSPolitical
Jean Wiecha PhD, Program Design and Evaluation
Steve Hewins, Hospitality Maine
Tara Jenkins, Conscious Revolution
Randi Hogan, Hogan Philanthropy Consulting
Anestes Fotiades, Portland Food Map
Penny Jordan, Farms for Food Equity
Kristen Miale, Good Shepherd Food Bank
Margo Walsh, Maine Works
Amy Kayne, 2Gether Private Chefs
Dr. Matt Wetherell, Portland Family Medicine
Sarah Plimpton, Finish Line Consulting
Justin Burkhardt, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare
Carol Wishcamper, Organizational Consultant
Phil Walsh, Maine Initiatives
Matt Chappell, Owner, Gather
Gray Harris, Coastal Enterprises, Inc.
John Kelly, Kelly, Remmel and Zimmerman
Susanne Lee, University of Maine, Maine Business School
Cecily Upton, Co-Founder, FoodCorps and Food Systems Consultant
